Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s centrist Civil Contract Party has secured a decisive victory in a crucial general election, winning 49.8% of the vote. The election was widely seen as a referendum on whether the country would continue its shift toward the West. The Strong Armenia Alliance came second with 23.2%, followed by the Armenia Alliance with 9.9%.
This was the first general election since Armenia, a small South Caucasus nation of three million people, suffered a devastating military defeat by Azerbaijan in 2023. The vote tested Pashinyan’s push to deepen ties with the West while facing economic pressure from Russia, its largest trading partner and traditional ally.
Pashinyan, in power since 2018, declared victory on Monday after early results indicated his party had secured over 50% of the vote. “The Armenian people voted for peace, regional prosperity, and cooperation,” he said.
The election attracted significant international attention. France and the European Union congratulated Pashinyan, praising Armenia’s closer ties with the West. Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova alleged “unprecedented pressure” on opposition parties and “interference” from the West, adding that Armenian society was “extremely polarised.”
Despite his victory, Pashinyan’s domestic support has fallen from 54% in 2021 to around 30% today, according to polls. A total of 19 parties and alliances contested the election, but few earned enough votes to enter the national assembly. Turnout was 59%, according to the electoral commission.
The conservative Prosperous Armenia party, led by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, came fourth with 4% of the vote. It, along with the Strong Armenia Alliance and the Armenia Alliance, is pro-Russian.
Pashinyan stated on Monday: “We will continue the course of rapprochement with the West, but we will also continue our participation in the Eurasian Economic Union.” In late May, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a referendum on EU membership versus remaining in the Russian-led EAEU. Putin highlighted economic benefits Armenia would lose, noting that gas prices from Russia are $177.50 per 1,000 cubic meters, compared to over $600 on European markets.
In the two weeks before the election, Moscow banned exports of Armenian flowers, mineral water, brandy, and fresh produce. Pashinyan’s efforts to steer away from Moscow include passing a law to begin EU accession and accelerating peace with Azerbaijan via a US-brokered agreement, which won US President Donald Trump’s endorsement. He also hosted a summit of EU leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Yerevan earlier this year.
However, Armenia lacks EU candidate status, and membership remains distant. Pashinyan’s loss of popularity is largely due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, where Azerbaijan took the enclave by force in 2023, displacing 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Critics fault him for making concessions for peace, such as refusing to campaign for the release of former Nagorno-Karabakh leaders jailed in Azerbaijan.
